Everything Branding, Marketing, Advertising and Management

March 23, 2011

I read an article recently that talked about our tendency to treat prospects differently than we do clients. It's kind of like a new relationship - what my Mom always called "Love's rose-colored glasses."

When we first meet someone, we tend to put all our best qualities forward and hide those things that (although we later refuse to admit) we fear may be a deal breaker. Later int he relationship, a level of comfort develops that allows our more negative habits to resurface, compounded by the fact that some of the more positive habits we demonstrated in the beginning fade. I call it the relationship Bait and Switch.

It's the same with our business, There is often a way we treat longtime clients that differs from how we treat prospective clients, and it's really not genuine or fair.

The ideal lies somewhere in the middle. When you meet a prospective client, there is no reason to perpetuate an image that is not really you, or does not fairly represent your company. On the same note, you should treat all current customers with the same enthusiastic, eager-to-succeed service that your portray to prospects. It's important to remember that new companies are introducing themselves to your customers every day. Complacency on your part is the surest way to allow a competitor to demonstrate more care for your client than you.

Resist the urge to over-sell yourself in a new relationship, and fight the complacency that comes with an old one. Not only will you build more value into those relationship for greater longevity, but you will likely build more value in you.

February 16, 2011

When will business owners understand that the slightest break in Internal Marketing ultimately results in lost customers?

My friend Marty and his son Carson recently visited a national hardware store in town. They needed some rock salt and stopped at the store that was in the path of that day's errands. A happy coincidence for the store. That they will likely not make that choice again, not so happy for the store.

After purchasing the rock salt the register, Marty and Carson were directed to the opposite end of the store to retrieve their purchase. As everyone knows, these stores are huge - and walking from one end to the other is no jaunty stroll. But the two were not in a hurry and willingly made the journey.

Upon arrival, they were told the store was actually out of rock salt. Internal Marketing Breakdown #1: non-communication between departments.

Marty was given the option of a refund, to which he agreed, He was then directed back to the other end of the store to process this refund. Internal Marketing Breakdown #2: understanding/executing ideal customer service.

It's a story I've heard over and over again. Business owners are complaining that sales are down, yet employees have no understanding of, or worse yet no buy in to, delivering the ideal brand experience to the customer. And 99% of the time it will be the employee, not the business owner, who solely provides the customer experience.

The number one best investment a company can make to increase revenue is Internal marketing. Companies who aren't doing it are losing money each and every day. When will you start investing in yourself to ensure that customers continue to do business with you?

June 20, 2010

The forecast for the Midwest has been, and will continue to be... frickin' hot. And it's only June!

As we all know, people can get a little testy when temperatures are soaring. So here are some customer service extras you can adopt to give your customers an above-and-beyond experience.

Have cold drinks on hand and available. It doesn't have to be costly like soda - make some lemonade and keep it good and cold, or just fill a cooler with ice water. You'll be surprised how many of your competitors haven't thought of this!

Give them shade. For car dealers and other retailers with outdoor displays, have lots of umbrellas on hand to loan shippers. This will provide them some coolness on that hot blacktopped lot.

We all scream for ice cream,. Negotiate with a local ice cream place for some coupons or even freebie certificates to give customers after their transaction. It's a great opportunity for the ice cream shop to get some new customers, too.

Design cool. Especially for retailers, set up your front of store display with refreshing items, cool colors and revitalizing scents. You know that feeling when you first walk in out of the heat and cold air hits you? Why not create a similar feeling for your customers with your own merchandise?

Remember, in life it's the little things that make a big impact. Make a little effort to show your customers and you are thinking of their comfort, and see big results!

April 28, 2010

We all know the benefit of loyal customers. Not only are they repeat customers, but they are also great referral sources. And often. they even become friends. So how do you take a regular customer to the next level of loyalty? You must progress from rapport, to trust. Here are some things to keep in mind when building trust.

Know your product or service, for better and for worse

Be prepared, especially for something to come from nowhere

Exude genuine confidence

Be genuinely honest

Make eye contact

Listen and absorb

Elicit willingness

Never be assumptive

Do what you say you will do

Customer that trust you are in immense asset to your business growth. Take the time to build the trust and your gains will be exponential.

March 16, 2010

We went to our closest movie rental store recently only to find that it is closing and selling out not only it's inventory, but all it's furnishings and equipment. The movie rental industry certainly is going through it's own transition.

It reminded me and I remarked to Ann Marie how Netflix was started by a disgruntled Blockbuster customer.

Great customer service is not optional, today it's mandatory as customers are more picky with their choices and tighter with their expenditures.

Customer Service Myth #1: You have to give stuff away

Research has shown time and again that outstanding overall service, not giveaways lead to higher customer service ratings for product and service companies.

Research has shown by comparing managers intuitive conclusions with actual survey results that there is no substitute for statistically valid measurements, and without these measurements, it's impossible to strategize, and manage knowledgeably and effectively

Customer Myth #3: There's not much difference between somewhat satisfied and completely satisfied

Research has shown by tracking both survey results and subsequent behavior that completely satisfied customers are three times more likely to do business with you again that those who are somewhat satisfied.

Customer Myth #4: Complete satisfaction means perfection

Perfection is something to strive for, but it's rarely ever achieved. A customer may have encountered significant problems in the transaction, yet still reported being completely satisfied, provided the problems were taken care of appropriately and timely.

March 15, 2010

The brand promise is the one thing you consistently deliver to your customer experience every time. For most companies, employees are the front line when it comes to customer relationships, especially if you have a service business. Internal brand pride is a critical success factor affecting external brand attitudes.

If we want our employees to love our brand, we have to love our employees.

If we want our employees to have passion and pride in our deliverance of a superior brand experience, we have to show them we have passion and pride in what they do and who they are.

If your people do not believe in the brand, then you can't expect your customers to believe in the brand. Brand leadership is top-down. People follow the way the leader is walking, not just talking. When a new employee is hired, a company has 72 hours to make a great first impression. This first 72 hours is a unique opportunity to instill a positive brand attitude.

When you bring someone "on-board", you get a rare chance to set the stage for the training that follows.

Do you know why the Walt Disney company is so successful hiring people? They maintain focus on what kind of company they are. They are an entertainment company that thrives because of the experience people have when they come in contact with their brand. Walt Disney starts by hiring people who like people. They make sure prospective employees know what is involved and what the expectations are. The emphasis is clearly focused on human relational skills.

Disney is clear about it's priorities:

Safety

Courtesy

Quality of the product

Efficiency

Effective brand experience does not necessarily come from a written policy manual, although there is one; the emphasis is on the fact it must come from the employees' heart. People need to internalize the company values and believe in them.

February 08, 2010

Economic Recovery are of course some of the buzzwords of current business. It will do you no good to see the economy change if you have not cleaned your house properly, and at the same time building a better sales system so that your organization is at it's least vulnerable when economic conditions are not optimal.

Marketing and sales (if they are separate in your organization) must work together in this process to provide your company with the best system for qualified leads and better top lines. Don't let differing opinions between departments and/or individuals stand in the way of objective conclusions. Use your persuasive skills and create concerted effort to correct it, if it exists.

What triggers (or "buy points") exist and are targeted in terms of contact information in your Customer Relationship Management System?

How do you create interest in your organization?

Where does it start?

Was there a compelling event that sparked interest for them?

Where is your best entry point?

Who is usually contacted during the initial phase of the sales process? Who should it be?

Who is involved as the buying process continues to evolve?

Who or what drives the process forward?

Is there anyone in your organization that shouldn't be in the process? Anyone who should be?

Who funds (has approval) the process? (CFO, Division Mgr, You?) How are the funds used to drive leads in the process? What measurement tools do you use to show ROI?

These are just some questions you can use in a strategy session to determine if your lead generation system is performing and where the possible constraints might be. Your answers should be collected and consolidated then shared with all the stakeholders in the company, making sure that everyone is satisfied with the process and enthusiastically support it.

February 04, 2010

For those who work in business development, cold-calling is
often one of the most dreaded tasks that can be performed on any given day.Unless your phone is ringing off the hook
from people calling in via referrals and external marketing efforts, however, you
know that calling on new prospects needs to be a part of your business
development strategy.

So, what can you do to motivate yourself to make these calls
and make them more effective when you do?

First, change your attitude.A large part of the negativity associated with cold-calling is rooted
with how it is framed in your head – as a COLD CALL.The simple act of referring to this form of prospecting
as cold-calling brings up a lot of negative emotions (these people don’t know
me or my company, yet I have to try to get them to be receptive to me and want
to do business).I prefer to think of
these calls as creating conversations.The
act of creating a conversation is a positive experience that leads to new
business somewhere down the line.Some
people you call won’t want to have a conversation today, and some will never
want to have a conversation.That’s okay;
move on.The fact of the matter is that
somebody will want to have a conversation with you because you made an effort
to contact them.Conversations lead to
meetings, and meetings lead to new business.

Once you understand what you are really trying to do when
you call on new prospects, you’ll want to develop and practice a script that
you will use when making your calls.Your
script should allow you to get to your point quickly and concisely.It’s okay to be up front that you are calling
to introduce your company and to see if there is any interest in doing business
together.Be prepared to quickly state
what it is that you do for clients.Leave the details out, but be prepared to talk about them if your
prospect is interested.Once you’ve
developed your script, make some practice calls to co-workers or colleagues to
work out any kinks.

Once you’ve changed your attitude and developed and practiced
your script, it’s time to get to work.Get over your fear of calling and go make some calls.If you perform badly on one, make some
adjustments to your script and move on.The more calls you make, the better you will get.As you have positive interactions and create
conversations, you will build confidence in your ability to talk to new people.You’ll start seeing new business prospecting
as an opportunity rather than a dreaded task.Seeing opportunity is one of the biggest motivators you will find.